That looks incredibly cool.
Russian nuclear power does not have a great reputation, but it might be possible to make these things quite safe.
Enclose the thing in 5-10 cm of lead, and that should stop everything but some of the gamma radiation. I reckon it would be safe to operate as long as one doesn’t lean on the thing for extended periods of time.

I believe the US is considering developing something similarly portable, though not quite as cool. I might have even read it on here! The general idea is: a small disposable reactor that remains the property of the US, who also handle desposal. To sell to countries who aren’t allowed nukes.

#9 Actually, those were powered by Radioisotope Thermal Generators (RTGs) rather than reactors. Similar to the RTGs used for deep space probes, they do NOT contain a critical mass of fissile material. Rather they function like one of those portable electric coolers (eg coolmax) in reverse.

Might be a bit thick of me to ask, but anyone know how these were autonomously driven? Was there similar GPS tech back then? To think about Russia using nuclear power on small beacons, in lighthouses and in a mobile aspect is cool enough, but being autonomous and that long ago? How how?